The James Harden MVP resume looks something like this: The Houston Rockets are 40-18, sit in third place in a Western Conference that's more stacked than a can of Pringles, and haven't had Dwight Howard on the court in over a month. Harden's averaging 27 points per night while shooting almost 40 percent from 3-point land, and when he's not breaking Ricky Rubio's ankles with a devastating crossover, he's Euro-Stepping through the paint on the way to a lay-up or getting a foul called.
Teammate Josh Smith already thinks Harden should be running away with the MVP, but Rockets general manager Daryl Morey just gave Harden one of the biggest compliments an athlete can ever receive.
"Take James Harden off our team, and we’re nowhere,” Morey told Pro Basketball Talk.
No offense to Trevor Ariza or Howard, but Morey is right. Harden has exploded this season, and is currently ninth in the league in usage rate, meaning he's touching the ball a lot.
It's a good thing Harden is having the type of season he is, too. Morey traded a small farm to nab Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012, giving up Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and two first round picks that would eventually turn in to Steven Adams, who has a hugely bright future, and Mitch McGary.
Turns out, maybe OKC didn't ask for enough. Morey was apparently ready to trade his entire squad and the cheerleaders to get his hands on The Bearded One.
"We basically told the owner, ‘We should just give them everything. Like, literally, every possible thing that isn’t bolted down with the Rockets should be traded,’" Morey said.
The sound you're hearing? That's Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti wailing from his office. And that other sound? That's Morey and Harden high-fiving. The bromance between those two son of a guns is a burnin' strong.
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[Via Pro Basketball Talk]
